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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25872310">School of Wonders</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/l1ght/pseuds/l1ght'>l1ght</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gravity Falls, Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Agender Character, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Multi, So not that many tags, The mystery twins and Frisk go to school together, Yay for secrets, i don't want to spoil anything</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:41:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,261</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25872310</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/l1ght/pseuds/l1ght</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Frisk and the mystery twins attend the same school. Of course, mischief and chaos ensues.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Two Weeks Past</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>-Frisk's POV-</p><p>As we exited the mountain, I took a deep breath of the fresh air. It had been longer than anyone could ever imagine since I've been aboveground. Anyone who wasn't aware of the Resets would think it's only been two and a half weeks at the most. Officially, I had fallen 2 weeks ago, but if you counted the Resets… It's been longer than anyone could count. As I stood there on the edge of the cliff with my newfound family, I remembered how I had fallen.</p><p>-2 weeks ago in this timeline-</p><p>
  <em>I was excited. My parents and I were going on a hiking trip to Mount Ebott in honor of my 13th birthday. It was August 24th, and the weather was perfect. We had gathered all the necessities and had even packed a picnic.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mount Ebott was a National Park, and no one except the park rangers could enter, and even then they had to be careful. My parents had never been ones to follow the rules, they did what they wanted as long as it harmed no one. This certainly wasn't going to hurt anyone, if it would be harmful, it would only be to the family</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Frisky~! We have to go!" That was Zoe Evergreen, my mom.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Coming, Mom!" I quickly grabbed my backpack. I was wearing a purple and pink striped sweater and had a bandaid on my cheek where I had scratched it earlier that fateful day. On my way out, I grabbed my walking stick from beside the door.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I rushed downstairs, where Mom was waiting. "Sebas, Come on! Even Frisk is ready!" she called to my Dad, Sebastian. Mom was blonde and had pale skin. She always seemed to be blushing. She was wearing a beige shirt, and cyan shorts. She also had a teal sweater wrapped around her waist. Mom was shorter than my dad, but it didn't bother either of them. She was curious and inquisitive, but when she decided something, there was no changing her mind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My Dad suddenly came rushing in. "I'm here, honey!" He lightly pecked Mom on the cheek then turned to me. "So how's the birthday gremlin?" He reached down and hugged me. I was very short for my age, probably inherited that from my Mom. My Dad had darkish skin, brown hair, and always seemed to be squinting. But he wasn't Chinese or Japanese. No one knows how that happened, so we all just accept it. I had inherited my dad's squinty eyes, but also Mom's eye color: green. Dad was wearing a dark blue polo shirt, beige shorts, and had an orange sweater peeking out of his backpack. Dad had always been a fan of puns and dad jokes. He was also quite smart.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm good!" I answered. He released me and looked at me. "Hi, good. I'm Dad." He overused that one, honestly, but I still found it funny. I opened my mouth, a comeback pun on my tongue, but then Mom butted in. "Come on, you two punsters. We've got a mountain to climb!" My parents grabbed their walking sticks and walked out the door. I rushed after them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mount Ebott was not too far away, so we walked there. Eventually, we reached the foot of the mountain, where there was a chain-link fence. We walked around it until we spotted an entrance gate. Dad pulled out his lock-picking tools and grinned. He quickly picked the lock, and we were in. There was no security around this area, mostly because there were myths, legends about this place. They say that whoever climbs the mountain never returns. Dad closes the gate behind us but leaves the lock open so we could get back out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We continued our little adventure, planning to stop at a clearing close to middle of the mountain. We weren't going to climb to the top, we didn't have the equipment for that. All in all, it was a fun trip, we spent the whole time laughing, singing songs, and telling stories. In what seemed like no time, we had reached the clearing. Mom checked her phone for the time: it was 6:35 PM, and we got to the mountain at around 2 PM. So if we had stayed at the clearing for maybe an hour, we would've gotten home at 9 PM. Perfect. Unfortunately, that didn't happe</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As we were settling down for the picnic, we heard a crash behind us. All of our heads whipped around in unison, and there was a bear. A grizzly bear. A large, male grizzly bear. All of us slowly got up and backed off. The bear seemed hungry as it sized up the food we left on the ground, then us. It then apparently decided I was a better meal, as it started approaching me, then suddenly leaping with its maw wide open. Mom pushed me out of the way and screamed. "There's a cave over there! RUN!" I turned away, then I heard a sickening crunch. I didn't look at the scene, it would probably be too grizzly. I mentally facepalmed. Why was I making puns at a time like this?!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I then heard my dad call out. "Run, Frisk, run! Hide in that cave! I'll fend it off!" I wanted to shout that 'No! I would not abandon my dad!', but then I heard him shout. "Frisk, f*cking RUN!" My dad wasn't one to swear, so I knew immediately that I had no choice. I started running toward the cave, only faltering when I heard my dad scream. His scream was then suddenly cut off. I closed my eyes shut and ran even faster. I could hear the bear's louds thumps of steps behind me, but luckily, I made it into the cave.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The opening of the cave was too small for the bear to fit through, so it only stuck its head through. Then it ROARED in anger, the whole cave shaking, with stones beginning to fall from the ceiling of the cave. I looked in fear, and the whole ceiling seemed unstable. The bear kept roaring, so I did the logical thing in that moment. I threw my backpack full of stuff at the bear.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>This fazed it, and it pulled its head out of the opening, running away. I then heard dragging sounds. I shivered at the thought of what the bear was dragging.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I sighed in relief. I was fine. I survived. Or at least I thought so. The cave started shaking again. It seemed that that it was too unstable to uphold itself. The entrance started caving in, then the whole cave. I backed away from the rocks and stones falling, not noticing the hole right behind me. Then I fell. The rest was history.</em>
</p><p>-Present time-</p><p>To the others, it seemed like I had spaced out. Toriel, my new adopted mother turned to me. "My child, are you ok?" I turned to her with a smile, sort of sad, but also full of joy that I escaped, not only from the Underground, but the bear that killed my whole family. "Yes, I'm fine."</p><p>I then hear Asgore's voice. "Umm… Frisk, if I may ask you something…" I turn to the king, waiting. "Do you want to be the Human-Monster ambassador?" Usually, I would have said yes, but… right now, I honestly wanted to enjoy life. "No, not now. But when I turn 18, I'll gladly take up the role. Right now, I just want to be a kid again." That 'again' just slipped out of my mouth. I hope no one noticed it. Luckily, it seemed no one did, but if they had, they didn't mention it. "Ok, Frisk. I will be proud to have you as an ambassador when you're 18."</p><p>I turned to Goat Mom. "Mom, perhaps we should go down there first, see if there's anyone around. I'm a human, and you're not large, imposing, or scary." Toriel thought it over before agreeing. "Very well, my child. Let's go."</p><p>I guided Mom over to where my late Dad had left the chain link gate open. On our way there, two figures from the forest emerged. They looked at me in shock.</p><p>"Frisk?!" They said in unison. They both ran over to me and hugged me so hard that I almost started choking.</p><p>-Kisha's POV-</p><p>Lila and I had been scouring the forest on Mount Ebott for Frisk, hoping they weren't hurt, or worse. This was not the first time we went looking for them after they went missing several weeks ago. We were giving up hope, this was our last search before we would help organize a funeral for Frisk and their parents. But when suddenly they just show up, walking through the forest with what looked to be a goat walking on its hind legs, we were overjoyed. Me, then Lila both rushed with our full force at Frisk, hugging them tightly and sobbing. The events of the last 2 weeks run through my mind.</p><p>-Two weeks ago in this timeline-</p><p>
  <em>Me and my twin sister, Lila received a text from Frisk. It read: '<span class="u">Going hiking with parents to Mount Ebott! See you later!</span>'. Of course, Frisk and her parents doing something illegal wasn't anything new, we'd gotten roped into it several times before. My sister and I were instead worried about why Mount Ebott of all places? That place was cursed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We tried texting them back, but it seemed there was no reception on the Mount. So instead, we patiently and calmly (not really) waited for Frisk to send a text that says they're home. But it never came.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The next day, I woke up first. I hurriedly checked my phone to see if my BFF had texted that they've returned. 'New messages: 0'. I was devastated. One of mine and Lila's only friends had gone missing. I shook Lila awake.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hmm… What is it, Kiiishaa…" She looked at her alarm clock. "It's 8:30 AM… And Summer Vacation…" She turned over to face the wall. "Leave me aloooone…" I was a bit infuriated that she had forgotten Frisk was on Mount Ebott, but she usually woke up around 10 AM during vacation, with me even later.</em>
</p><p><em>I shook her back awake. "Lila! Fris</em>k <em>hasn't texted me that they've returned from their hiking trip to Mount Ebott!" That snapped her awake. She shot up like a rocket in her bed and looked at me.</em></p><p>
  <em>"We need to tell Mom and Dad. They'll know what to do." We both got quickly dressed, and ran downstairs, where Mom and Dad were getting ready for work.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Mom! Dad!" We shouted at the same time, almost tumbling down the stairs.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Our father, Rick was tall, and really good at cooking. In fact, his job was a chef. He had brown hair and was currently making breakfast for him and Mom.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Bethany, or Beth as most people called her was our stepmother. Neither me, nor Lila remember our biological mother, so Beth is Mom. She is a blonde and works as an accountant. At the moment, Mom is getting ready for work.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Both of them raise an eyebrow at us. "What are you two doing up so early? Your Mom hasn't even gone to work yet!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I speak first. "Frisk and their parents went hiking on Mount Ebott yesterday," This made their eyebrows go up even higher. "T-they went at 2 PM. And they're not back yet."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom answered this time. "Sweetie, how do you know?" I showed her my phone. "Both of us told them to text us when we get back. Frisk would text back no matter what." This got my parents worried.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dad looked a bit thoughtful "Maybe… You should go to Frisk's house and see if they're there." Lila and I nodded, and we ran out the front door.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When we got to Frisk's house, we did everything we could think of. We banged on the doors, rung the doorbell, everything. Nothing. Dejected, we made our way back to our place. Mom had already left for work, and Dad was going later. When we walked in, he could immediately see the results of the search on out faces. "Nothing, huh?" Both Lila and I shook our heads.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He walks up to us and embraces us. "Don't worry… we'll find them."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The next two weeks went in a sort of similar fashion. We would wake up early, look for Frisk, and come home empty-handed. School started on September 8th, and it was the 7th already. We went into the forest for our last search, and we found them.</em>
</p><p>-Present time-</p><p>Eventually, Lila and I pulled away from the hug. "Frisk… Why'd you have to disappear?! Kisha and I have been working our butts off, searching for you!" Frisk rubbed the back of their head in what I assume was shame. I then remember the goat lady. "Frisk… Where are your parents? Also, who is that goat lady?"</p><p>Frisk giggled a bit, but not much. "My parents… T-they got attacked by a-a bear." That simple sentence got the whole message across. Lila and I swooped in for another bone-crushing hug, which lasted a good 5 seconds. "As for the goat lady… This is my new adoptive mother! Toriel!"</p><p>I… was confused. Why, exactly was Frisk's new mother a goat? My face must have been funny because both Frisk and Toriel burst into laughter. "Frisk, my child… Are these your friends?" The aforementioned human turned to the goat lady and smiled widely.</p><p>"Yes! These guys are my BFFs! Kisha and Lila!" They pointed to each of us as they said our names. Toriel turned to us. "It's nice to meet you. As Frisk said, I am Toriel."</p><p>Frisk then ran up to us. "Guys! You will not believe what happened over the last two weeks!" They then spun a story of falling, Monsters, and saving them.</p><p>At first, I didn't believe the story. But then, Frisk asks, "Do you want to meet the rest of my Monster family?" Lila and I both wordlessly nodded. Frisk grinned, grabbed our hands, and dragged us up the mountain. I could hear Toriel behind us, shouting "Frisk, my child! Wait up!"</p><p>Eventually, we reached a small cliff that was in front of a tunnel-like hole. There was an array of different Monsters sitting on the cliff, looking at the Sun and sky. "Guys!" Frisk called out. All the Monsters turned to look at us.</p><p>Frisk stopped running, then motioned at us. "These two are my best friends!" A monster immediately stood up. She was blue-skinned and looked like a fish. A spear appeared in her hand.</p><p>"WHAT?! Punk, I thought you said I was your best friend!" Frisk stuck their tongue out.</p><p>"Not anymore, you aren't~!"</p><p>As the two friends argued, a skeleton sitting close to where we were winks and says. "be careful, or undyne might turn you into fish-sticks!" Frisk immediately stops. They heard the pun. There's a pause, then they burst into laughter. Lila and another skeleton both let tout exasperated screams. I don't really care for puns, but I'm ok with them.</p><p>Eventually, Lila and I learned the names of all the monsters, and their general personalities. They were all awesome in their own way, and I enjoyed spending time with them. But eventually, the Sun started to go down. We all agreed to make our way down to Ebott City.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Angst, fluff and timelapses. The usual, y'know.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>-Frisk's POV-</p><p>We made our way down the mountain, chatting amicably as we walked. Undyne had quickly gotten over the fact that she now had competitors for the role as my best friend. She and Kisha bonded fast. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that that was happening, but then again, it sort of makes sense… I mean, well Kisha is quite the morning person, and isn't that hesitant to do reckless things. I once saw her dive from a cliff into a nearby lake.</p><p>On the other hand, Lila got along quite well with Alphys. That was no surprise, as Lila was quite a bit of a nerd and weeb too. I could hear them ranting about how horrible Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 was from where I was standing.</p><p>The two girls fit quite well into the group after the initial shock of the Monsters' existence had worn off, but they'd immediately noticed that something was off about me. Sure, they kept quiet about it and never brought it up, but I'd gotten quite good at reading expressions. I could see that they were worried about me, curious about what was going on, and almost... apprehensive. I could understand the first two, but... the third one… was it my body language? Maybe it's because I was a bit stiff around them? I haven't interacted with them for god knows how long, thanks to all the Resets. I had almost forgotten how to be a kid… But the more time I spent around them, the more I slipped into my old mannerisms. I realized that I would have to eventually tell them about all of my time-travel shenanigans, but… I shook my head. No need to think about that now.</p><p>Soon enough, we had reached the foot of the mountain, where the gate was unlocked. It was quite dark by now, and the twins had to get home. I bid them goodbye, with a promise that we would still be here the next day. We set up camp in the forest, deciding to reveal ourselves to the citizens of Ebott City the next day.</p><p>The night passed by in the blink of an eye, and soon it was morning. We gathered our courage and went into the city, where we were surrounded by police almost immediately.</p><p>"Hands up! W-who are you?" The police officer seemed scared, it was understandable.</p><p>Although I was not the ambassador yet, I stepped forward. I'm going to talk to these Humans.</p><p>The officers' eyes widened when they saw me. They tried to rush forward and 'save' me from the Monsters. When they came close enough, I just stepped away. "Hey, hey now. I don't need saving. These guys are perfectly safe." Since I didn't know these people, nor anyone in the crowd that had gathered, I signed while I was speaking. Everyone needed to know this.</p><p>"Bulls- Not true! They're literally Monsters!" One of the officers shouted. I squinted to see his name tag.</p><p>"Well, Officer Clarkson. How do you know? These Monsters have been nothing but nice to me, and if you haven't noticed, they're not attacking you." I retorted, still signing. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see someone looking at my hands, quite relieved that I was signing. Being able to read facial expressions was useful.</p><p>The cop sputtered, not able to come up with a response. "W-Well!" I walked up to him and stared right into his eyes.</p><p>These Monsters are safe. They won't attack you unless they're provoked. Got that? If you want to hurt them, you'll have to get through me first." The policeman looked around frantically.</p><p>"U-Uh… K-Kid, where are your parents? You should go home, and we'll deal with this."</p><p>The crowd murmured curiously when Clarkson asked this question. I could see someone trying to push through the crowd, but having no luck.</p><p>I looked nonchalantly at my fingers, then started signing when I started talking. "Oh, they're dead. A bear ate them." The policeman froze at this. Then his eyes narrowed.</p><p>"When and where did this happen? There are no bears in Ebott City, was this up on Mount Ebott? Are you the missing girl that climbed up there with her parents?" I flinched but maintained eye contact.</p><p>"First of all, I am not a girl. I don't know who told you that I'm a girl, but I'm not. I'm agender. Second, yes, I am that kid. My parents died, but I'm alive. Ya happy now?"</p><p>The cop's eyes were still narrowed. "There's no such thing as agender, there are only girls and boys, but you can take this up with the people of the orphanage. Also, how do you speak of your parents' deaths so easily?"</p><p>I slowly shook my head. "Look, officer. You are a sexist, idiotic, manipulative bit-" I was interrupted by Toriel.</p><p>"My child, do not swear." She looked at the officer. "I have adopted this child. They will not be going to any orphanage."</p><p>The officer let out a dry laugh. "What makes you think you have any control over this? You're just a filthy Monster. You should all just go back to Hell." He turned to look at the rest of the police force. "Arrest these hellbeasts!"</p><p>The police force moved forward but was interrupted by someone shoving through the crowd. It was an elderly man who I immediately recognized as the mayor. He turned to the police force.</p><p>"Who do you think you are to arrest them?! You should have called me to deal with them! They're sentient creatures with emotions! Go back to HQ." The police looked stunned for a second before getting into their police cars and driving away. Mayor Lordine turned to us.</p><p>"Sorry I couldn't get here any sooner. I tried to get here as soon as I heard that Monsters were here."</p><p>I stood there for a second before thanking him. Good ol' Mayor Lordine. Always there to help, and the nicest mayor around these parts.</p><p>I introduced my new family to him, and things started rolling from there. A treaty was arranged between Monsters and Humans, and we were given a piece of land not too far from Ebott City. A 15-minute walk away at most. My friends constantly visited us, and things were going perfectly. One day though, Toriel brought up the school she had been planning to open.</p><p>"Perhaps now that things are better, I could start a school!"</p><p>"Good idea, Mom. I think there's still some space between the Town Hall and the Clinic. Besides, there really should be a school. I think you'll make a great teacher." Since Monster healing was different than Human healing, we had to build our own clinic (Since Asgore's so great at naming things, it's called 'Clinic'.). There were plans for a hospital, but the Clinic was good for now.</p><p>"I hope so. I'll talk to Asgore about it."</p><p>The plans for School New Hope were then started. There had been some arguing about the name, but because it was Toriel's school, she named it. It turned out she was as bad at naming things as Asgore.</p><p>Mom wanted it to be a school for both Humans and Monsters, so when the building was complete, she put an ad in Ebott City's newspaper, The Ebott Daily. There was immediately some interest, and people started signing their children up. It wasn't much, but Mom was happy some people were open to it. Kisha and Lila tried to get their parents to let them go to School New Hope, but they lived on the far side of Ebott City, so their parents thought Newer Home was too far away.</p><p>Almost a year had passed by the time the school was ready to open, and it was decided then that it would open at the start of the school year. We celebrated my birthday and time passed quickly. In what seemed like no time at all, School New Hope was opening. Everyone was excited, this was a big step in the relationship between Humans and Monsters. Although officially Monsters were not an enemy to Humans, there were still a lot of people who thought Monsters should have stayed Underground.</p><p>As Toriel and I walked up to the school for the first day, I noticed a couple of teenagers about my age walking up to the school. One was wearing a black blouse with silver lining, had long hair, and she was smiling brightly. The other was wearing a red t-shirt, a blue-and-white baseball cap with a pine tree on it, and he was clutching a blue leather-bound book, looking around cautiously though glasses. The girl noticed me looking and waved.</p><p>"Mom, I'm going to go talk to those kids. See you soon!"</p><p>Toriel looked at me. "Alright, my child. Be careful. Goodbye!" She went into the school. I straightened my scarf and walked over to the pair.</p><p>I opened my mouth to talk but was interrupted by the girl's excited talking. "HI! I'm Mabel! What's your name? Who was that goat lady you were talking to? Is she your adoptive mother?! What's your favorite color? Can we be friends?" Mabel was about to ask another question before she was interrupted by the boy who seemed to be her brother.</p><p>"Mabel, stop stressing this poor girl out… She's obviously stressed at all your questions." I cringed slightly at the pronouns, but it was apparently enough for him to notice. "Uh… Sorry. Not a girl?" I shook my head and found my voice.</p><p>"Sorry, no. They and them pronouns. Name's Frisk. Frisk the Human." I chuckled inwardly at the quote.</p><p>The boy raised an eyebrow. "It's quite obvious that you're a Human. Unless there are Monsters who look like Humans?"</p><p>I laughed. "No, it's just something my Dunkle says sometimes. 'hi. i'm sans. sans the skeleton.' He's funny. Anyway, what's your name?"</p><p>He sighed. "I'm Dipper. This is Mabel if you didn't catch her name." I look over at the girl. She seemed to be ready to explode with excitement. "Hey, Mabel. Are… you ok?" She nodded vigorously.</p><p>"Yeah, I'm fine. Just so excited! We've never met Monsters, and I hope they're nice. I really do, we haven't had the best experience with the supernat-" Dipper slapped a hand over Mabel's mouth.</p><p>"Heh, heh…"</p><p>I ignored it. It was clear that they had something to hide, but then again, so did I. I'll leave them be, for now.</p><p>"Oh, they're nice! After my parents died, they took me in! That goat lady you saw? That's Toriel Bossol. My adoptive mother. She's also the one running this school! I'll introduce you to some of the Monsters, they're really nice." This made Mabel even more excited.</p><p>She started to answer, but I couldn't hear her. "<em>Hello, Frisky. Long time no hear, eh? I'm curious how this'll turn out. Good luck, partner~!</em>" Why had Chara chosen right now to return? Oh well… I'm glad they're back.</p><p>"-isk? Friskk?" I shook my head.</p><p>"Sorry. Just spaced out for a moment. Let's go, I'm sure class is starting soon!" I grabbed their hands and dragged them to the school, but my mind was still on Chara. It was nice to have them around again. Sure, they're annoying and sarcastic, but they've always been a constant in my life after I fell. Maybe now I can apologize for all the pain I've caused them. Hopefully, they'll accept it. I don't know what I would do if they didn't...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Living Life After a Taumatic Event (I'm glad I still have you)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>EYYYY, IT'S DIPPER'S POV. This is not proofread, so tell me if there are any mistakes. I just realized that I wrote this in another writing style so oh well. I actually rather like this style.</p><p>Screw that, I love this style. I should write a whole story this way... For now, this is how Dipper thinks.</p><p>Oh, and I changed the last chapter a bit because it didn't align with what I wrote here.</p><p>!THIS IS <em>NOT</em> PINECEST. THIS IS JUST TWO SIBLINGS COMFORTING EACH OTHER!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>-Dipper's POV-</p><p>I stared out the window of the bus, contemplating what had just happened. A part of me still didn't believe that... That I, that Mabel and I had... Had almost...<br/>
Subconsciously, my fist clenched, the letter that I was holding crumpling up. I was so zoned out, I didn't even hear my sister calling my name.</p><p>"-pper? Dip-dop!</p><p>I jumped when I finally heard her and whirled around, almost expecting <em>him</em> to be there. I relaxed at the sight of my twin, but my face must've been pale or something because she immediately pulled me into a hug.</p><p>"...Dipper, are you ok?"<br/>
I paused a moment. "No, not really... I just- I just can't believe that we-" I gulped a bit, and my next words came out as a whisper. "We came so close to <em>dying</em> back there, Mabel.</p><p>She pulled me closer, trying to comfort me.</p><p>"I know, Dipper. Believe me, I know. But... What matters is that we didn't. We didn't die, and we're still alive. That's all that matters. That you, and I, and everyone back at Gravity Falls are still alive.<em> He</em> didn't kill us, and we're still alive. We're still here together. You're my brother, and I'm your sister, and were both still here.</p><p>I processed her words, realized that what said was true. My arms, as if of their own will, reached up, and hugged Mabel back. I pulled her closer too, not wanting to be alone.</p><p>"...Thanks, Mabel."</p><p>I didn't notice when the letter fell from my grip, and onto the floor of the bus.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>Mabel and I stood at the door of the bus, preparing for what was ahead. She and I had agreed to not tell Mom or Dad about our summer, in fear of that they would not let us go back. Dad would also probably think it was some crazy story, and I was just playing along for Mabel's sake. Mom might believe us, Grunkle Stan told us stories of the one time she had come spend the summer with her uncle, and he was pretty sure that she had seen something supernatural. By now she would probably just brush it off as a childhood fantasy, and even though there was the chance that she realized it was all real, we didn't want to risk it. Mabel and I would have to pretend that everything was all right, and we totally didn't have PTSD.</p><p>I shook my head a bit, and grabbed Mabel's hand. Her hand tightened around mine and I could tell she was as nervous as I was. Together, we stepped off the bus.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>Mom and Dad were there, waiting for us. They had huge smiles on their faces, oblivious to mine and Mabel's state. I reluctantly let go of my twin's hand, and forced a smile on my face. A glance at Mabel showed she was doing the same.</p><p>We took another step, and then carefully walked over to our parents. Our parents that we used to trust with anything, our parents that were always there for us in our darkest moments. Our parents that we can't trust.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>I could tell they immediately saw something was wrong. Bur they didn't push the issue, and just enveloped us in a hug once we got close enough.</p><p>"We missed you both so much!" They said, but I could see it. All the smiles present were strained. A parent's instinct is always right, they say. Well I guess they tell the truth.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>They took us home, the entire car ride spent in silence. I looked out the window the entire time watching the lampposts with 'MISSING CHILD' posters on then, flapping in the wind. Buildings, lampposts, homes, schools, churches... They all rushed past, and yet they meant nothing to me. I barely realized it when we arrived back 'home'.</p><p>I could tell Mabel thought the same; this wasn't home, not anymore. If they say home is where the heart is, then home is Gravity Falls.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>We were welcomed inside the house like it was nothing. I almost expected to feel a sense of normalcy, but I knew I would never be the same as when I had been before the summer.</p><p>Mabel and I went upstairs to our rooms, not even pausing to look around, or speak to our parents. We shared one last glance before we entered our respective rooms, yet that one glance said a lot. We both knew we wouldn't be able to sleep apart for a while, if ever again. There were going to be lots of sleepovers.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>A week had passed since we'd come back, and our parents were growing concerned. We barely spoke to them, if at all. We spoke in hushed voices about Gravity Falls, shutting up when our parents came close. We were scared of triangles, and handshakes. We never slept apart, one of us always going to the others room. I could tell they wanted to ask what was wrong, but they didn't.</p><p>They were too scared of what they might find out.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>I was once taking a walk with my sister near Mount Ebott. There was a small crown gathered, so naturally we got curious.</p><p>As we approached, a sense of foreboding filled me. This little encounter would change our lives, that I somehow knew. I could tell Mabel felt it too, yet we still went, we still got mixed up in the crowd, we still found out what was going on.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>Monsters. There were Monsters. I could hear the voice of a child telling the police that they were not dangerous. I had to get closer, I just had to. I had to warn them, the Monsters could be dangerous.</p><p>But the crowd was too dense. By the time I made any progress, Mayor Lordine had arrived and dismissed everyone. I was too late.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>The next day, the paper spoke of peaceful Monsters, and treaties. They didn't know the dangers of what could happen.</p><p>But I couldn't do anything about it.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>The next week, school started. Mabel and I had to go, we had no choice.</p><p>Mabel said we should give it a try maybe, things would be ok. Yet the already faint smile of hers was obviously strained. I could tell she didn't believe her own words.</p><p>But still, we went. We had no choice, did we?</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>School was horrible. Everyone noticed the change in our behavior, yet unlike our parents, they didn't leave it alone. They pushed and pushed. Kept asking us what happened in the summer, why we were different, how we were just weirder than we had already been.</p><p>Pressure can only build up for so long, can't it?</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>My twin and I were in the principal's office, with our parents. I knew why, yet I didn't understand why we were here.</p><p>They didn't believe us. They didn't believe that everyone had deserved what they got. They just said we should have told them, or just walked away. Why was telling others about our summer so bad?</p><p>If only they knew.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>We didn't go back to that school. We just didn't go to school, period.</p><p>Our parents sat us down that evening and asked us what was wrong.</p><p>Only so much pressure can build up before something bursts. And there was so much pressure already.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>As soon as we mentioned the supernatural, Mom understood.</p><p>She didn't understand exactly, but she did convince Dad to give us the benefit of the doubt.</p><p>And with that, the floodgates opened.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>We told them everything. About our Grunkles, about our friends, and... About <em>him</em>.</p><p>There were tears. Tears everywhere. Tears as we explained our hurt, our troubles, our trauma.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>I startled when I got pulled into a hug. I sat there, speechless, tears in my eyes still fresh as I was told that it all would be ok. Mabel and I would be ok, and they believed us. That we were safe, and they loved us.</p><p>For the first time since we got home, I felt safe, loved.</p><p>I missed this.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>We stayed at home since then, our parents not really bothering us anymore. They'd ask if we were ok from time to time, and our answer was always different.</p><p>Slowly, we were healing.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>That spring, there was an ad in the Ebott Daily, talking about School Hope, a school for Monsters and Humans.</p><p>It was easy to get our parents to let us go.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>I needed glasses. I'm not surprised, I spend so much time reading and writing jn the dark. And there's genetics too.</p><p>I got ones that look like my Grunkles'.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>We went back to Gravity Falls that summer. </p><p>Our parents wanted to come with, but they trusted us, so they let us go alone.</p><p>Maybe they should have come with us.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>The summer is another full of adventure and fun, but not without its share of fright and running for our lives.</p><p>At least there wasn't another apocalypse.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>Too soon, the summer's over, and its time to go back to Piedmont. I almost wish we could move to Gravity Falls. Almost.</p><p>Grunkle Ford gives me a journal of my own, to write down my observations about Monsters, he says.</p><p>I think he just knows I've wanted one of my own for a while.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>School's about to start. I don't know what, to expect, no one really does when it comes to Monsters.</p><p>I guess I'm just going to risk it.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>There's a girl walking up to the school with a goat Monster, chatting pleasantly with it -it? She? He? They?-. The girl notices Mabel and I.</p><p>She says something to the goat, pulls at her scarf and runs over.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>Her eyes. I know what those eyes mean. She looks haunted, like she's seen things.</p><p>Things no Human should ever have to see.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>She's overwhelmed by Mabel, I can tell. I almost expect her to back off and run away, but I don't.</p><p>I don't think someone with those eyes would run away.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>She introduces herself. Her name is Frisk. I can see the way she flinches ever so slightly when she gets called a girl.</p><p>I know the feeling.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>They. Frisk is a they. I saw them release unnoticed tension when I asked them for their pronouns.</p><p>
  <strike>I've found someone like me.</strike>
</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>Frisk is nice, I can tell they'll be good friends with Mabel. Maybe even me.</p><p>Hopefully me too.</p>
<hr/><p>I drew everyone! Another crappy drawing of mine on the internet.</p><p>
  
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